Month: November 2015

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11) Real love doesn’t ignore sin and it doesn’t leave us unprotected. Real love wants God’s best for people and so it holds people accountable to the boundaries revealed in God’s Word. We see this in Christ who loved us, but did not ignore the sin in our lives. This world says that, for the sake of peace, you should just leave sin alone, and yet there is no such thing as peace without truth! … Read More

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12) Simply put, a lack of forgiveness in a relationship means it isn’t Jesus- centered. When you hold onto unforgiveness, there is no way Jesus can be at the center of your relationship or your heart. Biblically, it is impossible, although in the church world it seems normal. Most people know that biblical forgiveness is also based on the reality that we can forgive because Christ has forgiven us. But what most people don’t often also realize … Read More

“I pray for them … I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:9, 11) Praying for someone is the most biblically loving thing you can do. While you can do other loving things, prayer is the first and greatest act of love that determines the effect of everything else. Prayer invites Jesus … Read More

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) We can’t accomplish God’s Will and not follow God’s Word. What does God’s Word say about your relationships right now? When God’s truth is given in God’s grace, God’s will changes lives! Most people miss the fact that God’s grace is most often a good friend who will walk with you to address the ugly parts of … Read More

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10) God wants you to love all people, but loving people and pleasing people are two different things, according to the Bible: To love someone is to serve God’s will God’s way in another’s life. This will be for their eternal good. To please someone is to serve another person’s will their … Read More

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) Don’t give up on loving people. Many of us are tired of trying to love the people around us because we don’t feel like it “works.” Truth be known, the type of “love” we are serving up is what isn’t working! So, let me solve your problem of feeling like loving someone isn’t working … Read More

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) “Do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5) This week we will cover a very important “first love” action that most Christians have let fall into disrepair in their lives: serving joyfully. It will take a lot of work by the Holy Spirit to reprogram our way of serving. Most of us only know how to serve in our own strength—even though … Read More

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise . . .be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God” (Ephesians 5:17-20) So, what is one of the greatest enemies of worshiping faithfully? The answer is not what you expect. The answer is … “Saturday.” We are called to worship God faithfully every day of the week, but somehow most of us view Friday night or … Read More

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5-6) God is great—even when life is not. Worshiping Jesus in the valleys of life is the key to transformation! Most people want to worship Jesus on the “mountain tops” of life, but worshiping “faithfully” includes so much more. When I learn to seek, savor, and serve Jesus in the most painful parts of my life, I begin to know the true … Read More

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Psalm 95:6-7) Worship of our great God should end up leading to action—places where we change or “bend” what we do to bring Him glory and honor. The Hebrew word for “worship” in Psalm 95:6 basically means “to bend.” When we worship God, we bend our lives to what He wants and who He is. As we … Read More